Secrets
by E.S.mangalover
Summary: During Sasuke and Naruto's ongoing investigation of a string of murders, Captain Tsunade decides to bring in Dr. Sakura Haruno, a forensic psychologist to assist them. As Sasuke and Sakura continue to cross paths, their attraction to one another flares, but as the identity of the serial killer is revealed, they will be forced to make a decision that will change everything. Hiatus
1. Chapter 1: Victims

Chapter 1: Victims

All was silent except for the muted sound of a phone vibrating. A few seconds passed before a figure rose from the warm cocoon of the bed to shuffle over and silence the alarm. Clothes were strewn all over the floor hinting at what had occur hours earlier. After a few moments of rummaging through the clothes, the phone was located and the alarm turned off. A quick glance at the time warned the stranger that it was time for her to leave. Grabbing her clothes, the mysterious figure headed towards the bathroom barely sparing a glance at the man sprawled on the bed. The light from the bathroom illuminated the stranger's face forcing her to confront her reflection. A look of pure disgust and hatred marred her beautiful face. She quickly grabbed the towel and threw it over the mirror before walking over to turn on the faucet.

Stepping into the shower, the woman languidly washed all evidence of last night's exertion from her body. Although it was enjoyable, she felt dirty and retched. She scrubbed every inch of her body until her skin was raw. Satisfied, the woman stepped out of the shower and dried herself with the towel. After quickly putting on her clothes and running her fingers through her long hair, she headed out to say farewell to her current lover. This would be the last time she would be seeing him.

He was still laying quietly on the bed. No movements or sounds could be heard from him. A pity she thought as she examined him. He was toned, had a decent face and was fairly rich. The ideal guy for most women, yet, she despised every inch of him. Gently she brushed away a strand of blonde hair before briefly kissing him on the lips. They were cold and hard...just like her heart. A laugh threatened to escape her lips but she quickly smothered it. Walking over to her purse, the woman pulled out her little origami cherry blossom that she enjoyed making in her free time. Strolling over to the man, she placed the cherry blossom over his heart.

"Something to remember me by."

With that the woman turned away and walked out of the hotel room, already on the prowl for her next victim.

* * *

"Sasuke. GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!"

Barely registering his boss screaming his name from across the room, Sasuke rose out of his chair and slowly made his way through the maze of detective desks. He already had a faint idea why his boss was already yelling before her morning coffee. Not bothering to knock, Sasuke walked into the office and plopped down on the couch.

"Here I am."

A pair of amber brown eyes fixed a glare at the black haired man sitting on her couch. He was one of her best detectives and she expected a lot from him. Especially when it concerns his lazy, bad mouth, disrespectful partner.

"Where is he?"

Sasuke refused to flinch under Captain Tsunade's death glare. He had been transferred into this unit after working 4 years in narcotics and he could honestly say his last boss was only half the man, or in this case woman, as Captain Tsunade. She worked her way through the ranks and earned everyone's respect. Plus it was a well known fact that she had a horrible temper and dared anyone to disobey her orders. Regardless of her faults, she was the one you wanted to work under, especially if you decide to transfer into ANBU's homicide unit.

"Naruto?"

"Who else?"

Sasuke could see the vein already throbbing against Tsunade's right temple. Muttering a curse under his breath Sasuke steeled himself for another lecture on how it was his responsibility to make sure his partner arrives on time.

"He probably overslept. Let me step out a bit to call him..."

Tsunade knew Sasuke was trying to weasel his way out of listening to her lecture. Frankly, she didn't give a damn. There was a new case that she needed to two to start working on right away.

"Go and remind him that the next time he comes in late, he will be fired. Before you leave, here are the files for the newest case. Look it over and after your partner decides to show up, head over to the crime scene."

Sasuke reached out to take the manila folder from Tsunade. Flipping it open, he did a quick scan on the murder details. Male, approximately 25 to 30 years old found dead in a hotel room. No indications of a struggle and no murder weapon. All that was found was a single origami cherry blossom. Red alarms flashed in Sasuke's mind as he recalled another case that was very similar to this one. Glancing up at Tsunade, he could already tell from the expression on her face that she knew it couldn't be a coincidence.

"Get out and get to work."

Not even waiting for Tsunade to finish, Sasuke walked out of the office and headed towards his desk. After clearing off some of the older cases and paperwork he still needed to finish, Sasuke settled down and reached for the phone. Not even looking at the dial pad, Sasuke punched in the numbers he had memorized by heart.

"...Hello?"

"Hey Dobe, were the hell are you?"

"Crap! I'm on my way. I'll be there in 5 minutes. 10 minutes top."

"Hurry up and get your ass here. I already had Tsunade chew me out because you overslept."

"I didn't oversleep! I was just...busy."

"Yeah, tell Hinata I said hi."

Sasuke hide a smile as he heard Naruto sputtering into the phone.

"I wasn't with Hinata! We are just friends!"

"Uh-huh."

"I'm serious! I was only running late because I was reading the newspaper and ended up..."

Sasuke heard static and cursed the horrible reception.

"I can't understand you. Just get here and you can tell me all about it."

"...yeah...fine...be there...soon"

After decoding Naruto's muffled voice, he hung up the phone and continued reading the case file. There were too many similarities to the other case they had investigated 2 weeks earlier...

"Morning Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke felt something creep down his spine as he recognized the voice. Not even wanting to acknowledge her, Sasuke focused on the file.

"Sasuke!"

With small thump, Sasuke resigned himself to address the woman who decided to sit on his desk.

"What is it Karin?"

"Ahh...well I just wanted to know if you are free..."

"Nope."

"Wait I didn't even finish!"

"You don't need to finish because the answer is still no. I will not go out with you."

"Why! I know it's not because of how I look."

To demonstrate, the woman brushed back her long red hair to reveal the low cut shirt that she was wearing over a pair of black slacks. Barely even looking at her, Sasuke continued to work on the case file.

"Hmph! Why are you ignoring me?"

Sasuke felt his temper rising. Couldn't the girl take a hint? Unconsciously, Sasuke reached for the pack of cigarettes he kept hidden in his desk. Feeling the familiar shape, Sasuke grabbed it and quickly rose from his desk.

"I need a smoke and don't follow me."

Karin watched as Sasuke walked off. He was so good-looking and she wanted him, but he kept ignoring her advances. She needed to be more forward and aggressive. Sliding off of Sasuke's desk, Karin slowly made her way to her cubicle, already plotting her next attempt to ask Sasuke out and possibly get him in her bed.

* * *

"Damn! Where the hell is my lighter?"

Rummaging through his pants pockets, Sasuke was irritated to see he didn't have a lighter on him. There was no way in hell he was going to walk back to his desk in case Karin was still there waiting for him. He didn't even know why she was in the homicide department. She was part of the computer crimes unit, but she always seemed to have something to do in the homicide unit. Letting out a sigh, Sasuke leaned against the wall of the building and closed his eyes.

"Do you need a light?"

A feminine voice broke Sasuke out of his thoughts. Opening his eyes, he was shocked to see a gorgeous woman addressing him. She had long pink hair that was tied into a messy bun. Few wisps of hair embraced her heart-shaped face. She had bright green eyes that had a mischievous look to them with a sensual mouth that was curved into a smile.

"Yeah...if you don't mind."

The woman's smile grew wider as she leaned over to light Sasuke's cigarette. Her perfume surrounded Sasuke and he found himself becoming intoxicated by the smell.

"There you go. See you around."

With that, the woman began walking away before Sasuke could even say thank you.

"Hey Sasuke! I made it. What are you looking at?"

Naruto walked up besides Sasuke and followed his gaze and saw a woman's retreating back. A smile crept onto Naruto's face.

"Glad to see you are interested in girls."

Sasuke tore his gaze away from the woman to glare at Naruto.

"You are late."

"Yeah I know, but I have a good reason!"

"Tell me back in the office. Just let me finish smoking. Oh! Check if Karin is still lurking around my desk."

Naruto chuckled in response to Sasuke's request.

"She still chasing after you?"

"Yup. She doesn't understand the word no."

"Ha! Then hurry up and get a girlfriend! Or just tell her you are gay. I'm sure that would work."

"Get your ass upstairs. We have another case."

"Fine, but I have to show you what I found first."

"Ok. Now go."

Sasuke took a long drag from the cigarette as he waited for Naruto to disappear into the police station. His thoughts wandered back to the case and then to the woman who had offered him a light. He didn't even get a chance to ask her for her name. Taking one last drag from the cigarette, Sasuke crushed the cigarette butt out with his shoe. Running his hand through his hair, he made his way back into the office wondering if he would ever see that woman again.

* * *

The woman peered around the corner of the building to see if the man had left. She had felt his gaze on her as she had walked away. She usually didn't socialize with strangers unless it was necessary, but he seemed so interesting. A smile played across her lips as she recalled looking up into the pitch black eyes that were slightly covered by his ink black bangs. Too bad she already had her eyes set on another man. A cell phone ringing broke the woman out of her thoughts. Rummaging through her purse, she brushed past several disposable phones until she found the one that was ringing.

"Hello?"

"Sakura! I miss you. Come see me."

A grimace twisted the woman's pretty face, she didn't want to go see him but if she took care of him now, then maybe she could focus her attention on the next one...

"Sakura?"

Realizing she was still on the phone, she quickly responded.

"Alright. I'll be right over, I just need to change. Meet you at the usual place?"

"Yup and don't you dare be late!"

A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she hung up the phone. Of course she wouldn't be late. With a quick snap, the phone broke in two. Sakura threw the remnants of the disposable phone into a trash can and began making her way to her apartment. After today, it wouldn't be necessary to call that man ever again.

* * *

"Took you long enough! Did you check out the news?"

Sasuke shook his head as he made his way back to his desk.

" I'm lucky if I even get to sleep. Why don't you go work on our newest case instead of reading the gossip column."

Naruto blushed in response to Sasuke's comment.

"What the hell. I don't read that crap...Anyway, that's not what I'm talking about. Remember that case we investigated 2 weeks ago...well its front page news."

Sasuke recalled the case they were called out to investigate in downtown Konoha. The victim was a 25 year old male who was strangled to death. The only evidence they found at the crime scene was a single origami cherry blossom. It was similar to the crime scene of the newest victim.

"Yeah, I was thinking about it. The case was supposedly closed. The wife was cheating on him and her lover decided to kill the husband so he could have the wife all to himself. They are both in prison now."

"Yeah I know. I was there too, but that's not what I was talking about. There's been another murder and a cherry blossom was left behind at the crime scene."

"...Give me that."

Sasuke grabbed the newspaper out of Naruto's hands and quickly skimmed the article. The article relayed the same details he had just read from the case file that Tsunade had given him.

"You don't think we put the wrong person in jail...do you?"

Sasuke didn't even respond because that was a possibility.

"I don't know, but that's the case Tsunade just assigned us. We need to head over to the crime scene. How the hell did the reporters find out about this?"

"What do you expect? It's their job to be ahead of the police. But Sasuke, you don't think we are dealing with a serial killer?"

"I told you, we need to investigate the crime scene first."

Naruto sighed before walking over to his desk to grab his badge and keys.

"Fine, but what do you know. This will be our first serial killer in 10 years. Now if the killer is a female, then we would've set a new record."

"Shut up Naruto, and let's head out before our boss reads the paper."

Sasuke didn't even want to imagine what Tsunade would say when she saw the paper. The fact that they already had details about the crime scene before the homicide unit could even investigate would cause Tsunade to explode. Especially since she had a personal vendetta against the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Jiraiya.

"Hai, hai...but you have to admit, a female serial killer would be cool."

"Che. Yeah right, no woman would be capable of doing this. Now come on. We have a crime scene to investigate."

* * *

"Oh? I've seem to have made front page. How interesting."

After skimming the article, Sakura smiled before crumpling up the newspaper and throwing it in the wastebasket. She didn't need him to see that.

"Sakura! I'm almost ready."

"I can't wait."

Slowly she walked over to bed and plopped herself on the soft comforter. Reaching over, she grabbed the glass of wine that she had poured for herself. She preferred to be a little buzzed before she lay with the bastard.

"Sakura..."

Holding the wine glass to her lips, Sakura peered over the glass to stare at the man who was leaning against the doorway. He was dressed in a black robe that was tied loosely at his waist. The robe parted at the waist to reveal a hint of a six pack. As her eyes slowly took in the sight, the man had a smirk planted on his face.

"Like what you see?"

Arching an eyebrow in response, Sakura placed her wine glass back on the night stand and got up from the bed. Slowly she made her way over to the man, letting her robe fall to the ground. Standing before him in her black lingerie, she looked up at him from under her lashes.

"Do you like what you see?"

The man gulped in response as he took in the sight of the woman standing in front of him. He could feel himself getting hard as he imagined what he would do to her.

Sakura smiled and pressed herself against the man, looping her arms around his neck. She felt his arms snake around her waist, pulling her closer against him. She could feel the hard length of his desire pressing against her thigh. Slowly the man lowered his lips against hers, but Sakura halted his advance by pressing a slender finger against his mouth.

"I have a question before we start?"

The man froze as he mentally went through a list of possible questions she wanted to ask him. The first one that popped in his head was "do you love me?"

"How would you like to be front page news?"

That threw him off and it took him a bit before he could respond.

"Well, that would be awesome, but that would never happen."

Sakura smiled up at him.

"You never know..."


	2. Chapter 2: Unwanted Assistance

Chapter 2: Unwanted Assistance

"Damn, look at the press. They are everywhere."

Sasuke blinked as another flash blinded him temporarily. Muttering a curse, he made his way through the crowd until he reached the yellow tape that marked the area as a crime scene. Without even looking at the police officer, Sasuke flashed him his badge and made his way inside the hotel.

"Hey. Wait up!"

Not even bothering to slow down, Sasuke reached the crime scene. Pulling out a pair of gloves, Sasuke brushed pass the yellow caution tape and walked over to Shikimaru.

"Well?"

Shikimaru glanced up from his report to see who was speaking to him. After making contact with ebony eyes, Shikimaru muttered a word that sounded like troublesome before reaching over to lift up the stark white sheet.

"Male, late twenties. Suffocated to death. Your murder weapon."

Sasuke tore his eyes away from the lifeless corpse to see Shikimaru dangling a pillow in his face.

"Time of death?"

"I would say around 12 am this morning, will confirm after we bring him to Shizune to examine him. There are signs of sexual activity."

Mentally Sasuke cursed as he listened to Shikimaru's report. Everything matched up with the case they had supposedly solved two weeks ago. Running a hand through his spiked up hair Sasuke eyed Shikimaru warily before asking his next question.

"Is it the same?"

Brown eyes meet ebony before a brief nod confirmed Sasuke's suspicion. Letting out a curse Sasuke turned away to find his partner staring at the dead corpse.

"Hey, I know that guy. He's Deidara, the director of that company who makes explosives. Man, he's filthy rich."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow and was suddenly craving another cigarette. This was going to be a high profile case if the press found out the identity of the victim. Hell, if they knew the connection between this one and the next, the reporters will be hounding the police department and Tsunade will definitely end up blaming Sasuke for it.

"Don't let anyone find out the identity of the victim. We might have a possible serial killer on our hands and I will be damned if I allow the press to interfere with our investigation."

The few people who were in room nodded in agreement before returning to their task at hand.

"Naruto, let's head over to the other crime scene. I don't want to risk going back to the department empty handed."

From Naruto's expression, Sasuke could tell that he agreed with him. Just as Sasuke was about to leave, he felt a hand grab him on the shoulder.

"This might help."

Sasuke turned around and his eyes immediately zeroed in on the origami cherry blossom. It was intricate to say the least and looked very fragile. Gently Sasuke picked it up and caught a faint scent of perfume from the frail flower. Eyes narrowed, Sasuke couldn't help but recognize that scent from somewhere.

"Shikimaru, bring this to the lab and have them analyze the flower. There is a trace of perfume on it. It might belong to the killer."

The man nodded in reply before reaching out to place the delicate flower in a plastic bag labeled as evidence.

"It's blue..."

Sasuke was halfway out the door when he heard Shikimaru mutter those two words.

"Yeah?"

Shikimaru looked up from the flower and focused his piercing gaze on Sasuke.

"The other one was yellow."

* * *

Sakura quietly hummed to herself as she started working on her little cherry blossom. Without even thinking, she immediately folded the little origami flower in a matter of minutes. A small smiled played on her lips as she stood back to admire her artwork. The delicate flower was a nice shade of green that reflected the pink haired woman's bright eyes. Muffling a chuckle she placed the flower over the man's heart before stepping back to examine her handy work. The orange flower complimented the man's bright red hair and tanned skin. Wistfully Sakura looked at the man and recalled their passionate lovemaking they had hours earlier. She would miss him, even though he was a cocky bastard...well a cocky bastard who knew exactly what he was doing. The sound of phone ringing broke Sakura out of her naughty thoughts as she strolled over to her purse. Not even bothering to search through it, Sakura lifted the black leather bag and tossed all of the contents out onto the floor. Four identical cell phones landed beside each other alongside a tube of lipstick and a pack of condoms. Sakura cursed as she realized it was her personal cell phone that was ringing. Grabbing the bag, she swiftly pulled out a cherry red cell phone that had a cherry blossom charm attached to it.

"Hello?"

"Sakura?"

A genuine smile found its way onto Sakura's face as she recognized the man's voice.

"Kakashi!"

A chuckle was her response.

"Yup. Come on we are needed at the police department. Do you want me to pick you up?"

"Nope, I'm actually close by. I'll meet you there."

"Alright. See you in a few minutes."

With that the phone was disconnected. Tossing the cell phone back into her purse, Sakura collected all of her personal items before walking back over to the dead body. Gently she brushed a kiss against the cold skin before walking away.

"4 more to go."

* * *

"I thought we were going to head back to the other crime scene?"

"No need. We are going back to the department to report to Tsunade."

Naruto eyed Sasuke before turning his attention back to the road. Traffic was heavy and it would at least take another 20 minutes to reach the police department.

"It's because of what Shikimaru said...right?"

After Shikimaru had pointed out the difference in colors, Sasuke had booked it out of the hotel room and quickly made his way to the car. Naruto barely had enough time to say thanks to Shikimaru before chasing after Sasuke. When he reached their car, Sasuke was already in the passenger seat with the car running.

"Well?"

"Hn...it's a thought I had. Maybe the flowers mean something."

Naruto arched a golden eyebrow in response, his expression contorting into one of deep thought.

"Well...that is the main link we have between the two murders so far. All we have is the flower, and the fact that all the victims engaged in intercourse before they died."

"Plus they were suffocated. Whoever this perp is...she knows what she is doing."

Naruto froze for a minute as processed what Sasuke was saying. Taking his eyes of the road Naruto glanced at Sasuke who was deep in thought.

"She?"

Sasuke broke out of his thoughts to glance at Naruto. A grimace formed on his face before he pointed to the stoplight which had turned green. A car started honking and Naruto simply ignored it. His attention was still focused on Sasuke.

"Congrats, we finally got a female serial killer."

* * *

"Sasuke!"

A shiver went down Sasuke's spin as he recognized Karin's voice. Deciding it was best to just ignore her, Sasuke briskly made his way over to his desk which was still cluttered with papers.

"S.a.s.u.k.e..."

He could feel Karin pressing her body behind him as he continued to search for the file that had all the details for the murder that had occurred 2 weeks ago. A look of irritation flashed across Sasuke's face as he quickly moved away from her over to Naruto's desk. With a quick scan, Sasuke found the case file under a pile of paperwork that Naruto was supposed to have taken care of. Shaking his head Sasuke skimmed the details of the case. Male, mid twenties, death by suffocation. A yellow cherry blossom was found next to the nightstand.

"SASUKE!"

By then Karin was annoyed that Sasuke was ignoring her. She reached out and snatched the case file from Sasuke's hand and proceeded to wrap her hands around his neck.

"What the fuck?"

Karin froze as she heard the anger in Sasuke's voice. Usually she would back down when Sasuke got this upset but she was fed up with his attitude towards her. With a huff she crossed her arms under her breasts, purposely pushing them together so Sasuke could get a view of her cleavage.

"I was calling your name."

Sasuke's attention was solely on Karin's face. He knew that she was trying to tempt him with her body, but frankly he was disgusted. The damn woman didn't accept no for an answer.

"Get the fuck off the desk. I have work to do and don't you ever do that again."

Sasuke's growl shocked Karin as she slowly slid off the desk and started to make her way back to her office. Her shoulders slumped in a sign of defeat, but Sasuke knew that was for show. She would probably try something later. Sasuke let out a sigh as he began to massage his temples. Whenever Karin was around, he would always end up with a headache.

"Here."

Sasuke looked up to see Naruto handing him a bottle of water and some pills. Not even bothering to drink the water, Sasuke just swallowed the pills and waited for the medicine to kick in and combat his pounding headache.

Naruto watched and he couldn't help but snicker at Sasuke. He knew that Sasuke was good looking and had half of the females in the police department chasing after him. There was a time where Naruto was actually jealous of Sasuke...until Karin came along. The moment she had laid her eyes on Sasuke she swore that she would have him in her bed. That was 2 years ago and she still hasn't given up.

"Well...why do you think the old hag hasn't called us into her office to yell at us?"

"I don't know."

"Heh, she's probably still recovering from her hangover. Damn, even though she is old she can still put away a lot of alcohol."

"Oh-ho-ho...thank you for the compliment Naruto. After all this _old hag_ can still take away your badge and have you spend the rest of your career doing paperwork."

Naruto jumped as he heard Tsunade's voice. He turned around and found a pair of amber eyes glaring at him. With a sheepish smile Naruto attempted to apologize.

"Uh I meant bold, beautiful, youthful and amazing boss..."

Now it was Sasuke's turn to snicker at Naruto. Unfortunately for him, Tsunade turned her glare at him.

"You think it's funny Sasuke? Well you want to know something that is really fucking hilarious? WHY THE HELL DID THE DAMN NEWSPAPER KNOW ABOUT OUR NEWEST CASE BEFORE WE EVEN GOT THERE?!"

Sasuke grimaced as Tsunade yelled at him. He was expecting it, but damn, her yelling only made his headache worse.

"I don't know Tsunade, but we were able to find out some things."

"What?"

Sasuke sighed before responding.

"This murder is connected to the one we had 2 weeks ago. It is safe to say the two crimes were committed by the same person and the killer is most likely female."

"Hmm...what else?"

"The second victim is Deidara, the director of that explosives company."

Tsunade groaned. She hated high profile cases more than anything.

"So we have a serial killer..."

"Yup."

"Great. That explains everything."

Both Naruto and Sasuke looked at Tsunade, trying to make sense of her words.

"The higher ups have assigned two forensic psychologists to assist us in the case."

"Why?"

Tsunade eyed Naruto warily before replying.

"It has been ten years since we had a serial killer. The higher ups don't want a repeat of what happened last time."

Silence filled the room as Naruto and Sasuke remembered the event that Tsunade was talking about. The two of them had been fresh out of the police academy and it was the first case that had shocked Konoha. Apparently there was an underground organization that was trafficking young girls and when the police had found out, the organization decided to kill all of the girls that were part of the ring. There was a total of 20 girls all brutally killed. They were never able to catch the perps. Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other, both of their expressions mirrored one another as they recalled that day when they had found all of the bodies. That image still haunts them to this day.

Tsunade could feel the tension in the air and decided it was best to change the subject. She didn't have found memories about that day either.

"Well, the two of them should be here shortly, so behave."

Tsunade looked at Naruto when she said that word. His only response was a mischievous grin.

"Sure sure. I mean they are probably going to be some old farts that have a stick up their ass."

"Sorry, I prefer an actual guy instead of a stick and I didn't know I was old."

Naruto froze as he along with Sasuke and Tsunade turned their attention towards the person who spoke. Tsunade was silently laughing as she processed what the woman had said while Naruto's and Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise.

"Well Kakashi? I believe you are older than me. Plus you have the gray hair to prove it."

"Hn."

A tall silver haired man walked up beside the woman. His single black eye took in the sight of the two guys gaping at the woman beside him. Rolling his eye in response he turned his attention back to his worn out book.

"Sorry to say he isn't much of a conversationalist. My name is Dr. Sakura Haruno. He is Dr. Kakashi Hatake and we are here to assist you with the case."

Naruto and Sasuke took in the sight of the petite female that had her hand stretched towards them. She had long cherry blossom pink hair tied up in a loose bun with tendrils framing her heart shaped face. Her bright grass green eyes were framed by a pair of red glasses that were currently sliding down the tip of her nose. She quickly withdrew her hand to push the glasses back into face, showing off her perfectly manicured hand that was sporting a bright red color.

Sakura watched in amusement as the two guys continued to ogle her. Slowly she smiled her seductress smile, causing the guys' eyes to widened even further. She knew she was beautiful, and she took advantage of it. It was her best weapon when dealing with guys. Speaking of which, it was her turn to check them out. She briefly glanced at blonde hair man who had bright blue eyes that reminded her of the sky. He had a decent build and would've been her type if it weren't for those lines on his cheeks that reminded her of cats. Mentally she crossed him off of her list as she turned her attention to the other man. She immediately recognized him as the guy she had helped light a cigarette for. She was glad to see he was as gorgeous as she had remembered. His midnight black hair was slightly gelled so it spiked up in the back. He was pale but that only enhanced his black blue eyes. Coupled with his body that was nicely tone, Sakura had found her ideal type. After she takes care of her business, she will be definitely going after this guy.

"I see everyone is incapable of speaking. It's not surprising that the higher ups have brought us in to help out with this case."

Sasuke broke out of his stupor when he heard her say that. He recognized her as that woman that had offered to light his cigarette. He had thought she was gorgeous then but now...dressed in a short black pencil skirt with a silk red tank top, she was stunning.

"Sorry. I'm detective Uchiha Sasuke and this is my partner detective Uzumaki Naruto."

"Nice to meet you both. You must be Captain Tsunade correct? I've heard many things about you."

Tsunade arched a brow at the woman.

"Oh? Such as?"

Sakura smiled as she reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of sake. Tsunade immediately zeroed on the bottle and pulled the woman over for a hug.

"I think we will get along just fine. Why don't you and your partner go over the case details with those two, while I take care of this."

Naruto and Sasuke watched as the woman walked back to her office. Both of them knew she wouldn't be coming out anytime soon.

"What are the details?"

Sasuke turned his attention back to the woman and silently handed over the reports. Their hands briefly touched and Sasuke felt a shock of pleasure at the contact.

"Hmm..."

Sasuke immediately looked up to see if Sakura had noticed but she was too busy reading the file. He was relieved but also couldn't help but feel a little irritated. Didn't she feel it too?

"You killer is female, and the different colors are probably a warning of some sort."

"What do you mean?"

"Yellow is usually related to intellect while blue represents calm. Maybe it's a warning that something is coming. Sort of like the clam before a storm. Plus the yellow itself means that this is all planned out and calculated."

"How do you know?"

Because I'm the killer was Sakura's first thought but she smiled instead. It wouldn't do for them to catch her this early in the game. Besides, she wanted to stick around and see if she could drive these two on a wild goose chase.

"I'm a forensic psychologist, we are trained to look at these things."

"Oh."

"Kakashi, why don't you and Naruto go figure out what other evidence they have so we can work on a profile for the killer?"

Kakashi nodded in response and waited for Naruto to show him where they could go to examine the evidence. Sakura watched the two head towards a meeting room and turned her attention back to Sasuke.

"Well, we meet again."

"Hn."

Sakura arched a pink eyebrow as she heard Sasuke's reply.

"Hn indeed. What else can you tell me about..."

"Sasuke! Here are the reports you requested."

Sakura turned her attention to a red haired women who was plastering herself on Sasuke and openly glaring at her. A girlfriend?

"Reports?"

"Yeah..."

Karin had seen the woman walk into the department and immediately all the guys' were staring at her. Even Sasuke couldn't take his eyes off of her and that annoyed Karin. After all she had a better body than the woman.

"Hmm...I think you should actually bring the reports with you."

Sakura chuckled as she pointed at the woman who was claiming she had a report when she wasn't even carrying any paper with her. It was fascinating to see her face turn the same shade as her hair.

"Oh..yeah..."

"Well I don't want to interrupt you and your girlfriend. I'll head over to..."

Sakura paused as she felt a hand wrap around her arm. Curious she looked up to find Sasuke's intense gaze looking at her.

"She's not my girlfriend. I'll take you there."

With that, Sasuke proceeded to guide Sakura to the meeting room, trying to ignore the sensations she was bringing forth in him. Her scent was surrounding him and it was oddly familiar.

"You can let go of my arm now."

"Oh.."

Sasuke quickly released her arm and made his way over to the meeting room. He stepped aside and waited for Sakura to enter but was surprised when she grabbed him by the shirt and pressed her lips against his. It was a gentle kiss at first, but slowly the passion was building. Sakura gently used her tongue to tease Sasuke's lower lip, causing him to groan in surprise. Taking full advantage of the groan, Sakura deepened the kiss, reveling in the taste of him. She could feel his arms slowly wrapping around her waist and gently pulled away from him. She looked up into his half-lidded eyes and she could she a flare of lust in them as they focused on her lips. Chuckling to herself she pulled away from Sasuke and proceeded to enter the meeting room. She could feel his gaze on her the entire time. Another smile flashed across Sakura's lips.

This is going to be fun.


	3. Chapter 3: A Distraction

Chapter 3: A Distraction

**A/N: Here it is chapter three complete. Apologies for taking so long but I had to make a few tweaks to all of the chapters for Secrets so I suggest rereading from chapter one so you don't get confuse (you don't have to of course). Next update will be for Happiness? and the Rebirth. I'm aiming to update my stories every 1 to 2 weeks. Enjoy!**

* * *

"So what have we got to work with Kakashi?"

The vixen's voice broke Sasuke out of his revere. Quickly a frown marred his features as he walked into the meeting room to convene with the others. The sight before him served to ruffle his feathers as Sakura had a look of seriousness on her face. There was no sign or even a hint of what had occurred minutes before. Vexing was an understatement as he continued to observe her.

"Uchiha, instead of focusing your attention on my ass why not at least pretend to hear what I am saying?"

An inky black eyebrow rose in response to the statement. "A little conceited to think I was focused on your ass."

A siren smile adorned her face as Sakura turned to address Sasuke. "Oh, were you checking out Kakashi's then? To think I had mistaken that woman for your girlfriend, I apologize." The mischievous glint in her jade green eyes contradicted her apology and had Sasuke's blood boiling from both irritation and lust. Naruto muffled a laugh as he watched the two stare down each other, while Kakashi continued to read his book.

"Sakura."

The tone in which Kakashi had said her name, immediately had her breaking her gaze from Sasuke and focusing her attention on Kakashi.

"What is it?"

"Instead of teasing the detectives, it is time to work, don't you think?" Although this was said in a lithe tone, Sakura could hear the undercurrent of disapproval which had her mentally cursing her lack of professionalism.

"Of course. Can you please brief us on the backgrounds of the first victim and what was found at the crime scene?"

Sasuke was surprised by the quick shift in attitude but quickly brushed it aside and reached for the files from the first case. Finding the images he needed, he laid out the mug shots of the suspects as well as the victim's driver license photo.

"Victim's name was Yahiko, age 34 and the head of the Ame group which was a well known vigilante group that prided themselves in defending the poor. The other founders of the group were Konan and Nagato who grew up with Yahiko in the orphanage. They were on our watch list a few years back due to a few run in with the laws but they were never a violent group, preferring a more peaceful route in order to resolve issues. Yahiko was an avid supporter of the local orphanage and the group disbanded right around the time Yahiko and Konan got married. After that there was no knowledge of them until two weeks ago when he turned up dead. A maid found his body when she was told to check in on the guest since they had missed their check out time. From the coroner's report, it was discovered that Yahiko had engaged in sexual activity prior to his death and cause of death was strangulation. At the start of the investigation, we immediately went to speak to his widow, Konan."

Sakura eyed the photo of a blue haired woman with honey colored eyes. A huge origami flower adorned her hair and added to her feminine allure. A brief smile tugged on her lips as she could recall Yahiko's words.

* * *

_"What are you doing?"_

_Sakura smiled while she continued to fold her cherry blossom. "What does it look like I'm doing?" Silence was her only response, causing her to pause and glance up at the man. She took in his sunset colored hair and boyish features which were currently marred by a small frown. _

_"What's wrong?" _

_Yahiko smiled as he shook his head wearily. "Nothing...just that...Konan also likes to make origami flowers." The latter half of his sentence trailed leaving an empty silence in the room. Letting out a small sigh, Sakura rose from her seat on the bed, gently placing the delicate flower on the nightstand beside her. _

_"You're still thinking about her, even after finding out what you know?"_

_"Heh, guess I am fool for loving her." His goofy grin did little to hide the pain that Yahiko had felt the moment he had caught his best friend and soon to be ex-wife in bed together. To enamored with their actions, it was easy for Yahiko to leave unsuspected._

_"Hush." Soft hands brushed against his face in a teasing manner, providing both comfort and a sense of longing. "You are not a fool, it is only natural for you to love her after all, you two basically grew up together. However what's done is done. You are with me right now and I don't want to waste the night allowing you to wallow in your misery. Especially since I can think of other things we can do to pass the time." This was accompanied by a wicked grin as Sakura pulled Yahiko in a for a kiss. It didn't take much to disperse any thoughts related to Konan, as Yahiko surrendered himself to the desire the woman spurred in him. _

_"You're my angel."_

_A chuckle could be heard as Sakura once again brushed her lips against Yahiko's. _

_"I wouldn't be too sure about that..."_

* * *

Casting aside that memory, Sakura focused her attention on Sasuke. "What did you discover after speaking with Konan?"

"She was having an affair with Nagato." Sakura turned towards Naruto who handed her another picture, this one was of a man with bright red hair which contrasted with his stark white skin. "After talking with Konan she was apparently devastated by her husband's death and her grief caused her to confess her sins to us, so to speak. Turns out that Nagato and Konan were actually in love with one another, had been for a while and she wasn't happy with her marriage but she cared about Yahiko and didn't want to break his heart since they had so much history together. After hearing her story, we ended up taking her in as a possible suspect to be further questioned. We also went after Nagato and brought him in for questioning as well. At first Konan denied taking part in Yahiko's murder but after a few hours of interrogating her, she broke."

"She confessed to planning Yahiko's death with Nagato. This was confirmed by Nagato although he claimed that Yahiko was already dead when he found him. At the time, there were no other leads and their confession of wanting to kill Yahiko was more than enough to put both of them away. Right now they are being held without bail and are awaiting their trial which is scheduled for the end of the month. However our next victim is their get out of jail card."

Sasuke frowned at that last part of Naruto's statement as he pulled out another image, this one was of a male with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Recognition dawned on Kakashi as he observed the photo.

"Deidara, the CEO of the top explosive's company in Konoha?"

"Yes, and he was also a big contributor in the art scene. Age 29, and one of the richest men originally from Iwagakure. The victim was discovered earlier today, also in a hotel room. The crime scene was almost identical except Deidara was smothered to death and instead of a yellow cherry blossom, we found a blue one. The coroner's report will give us an exact time of death and verify the cause of death, but that won't be for a few hours yet."

"Hmm...would it be possible to visit the crime scene? I already have an initial profile in the works but I want to verify some things just to be sure." Sakura looked up from the photo of Deidara and was greeted by a pair of ebony eyes examining her.

"That's fine but we need to wait until CSI is done gathering all the evidence before we can go back. Until then, care to share your expertise? After all, I am interested as to what you do exactly." The mocking tone could be heard in Sasuke's challenge which only caused Sakura to smile in response.

"Very well, are there photos of the crime scene? I do believe that is the basic requirement when it comes to police work, no?"

Naruto snickered as he watched Sasuke's glare intensify. Deciding it best to intervene, he pulled out photos of the first crime scene and placed them on the board that took over one wall of the conference room. "From what we have seen from both crime scenes, the perp is very meticulous. There was barely anything left in the room besides the victim's body and the cherry blossom."

"That proves that she has prior experience or is at least well versed in what a police investigation entails. Going off the evidence that has been collected, the killer is female and this is confirmed by both victims engaging in sexual intercourse prior to their death. Her modus operandi, which is known as method of killing or m.o. for short, is strangulation or suffocation. I believe both of her victims were inebriate after having sex making it quite easy for her suffocate them to death. The fact that she is leaving behind an origami flower has two possible meanings; it is either her signature, or means in which to distinguish herself from other killers and gain recognition for her work, or it is a warning for someone that she will be coming after them. The latter explanation is going out on a limb since their isn't substantial evidence to prove that the killer is escalating. In regards to her victims, she seems to be going after recognizable members of society, the reason as to why is still in the works...Kakashi, did I miss anything?" Sakura turned to glance at Kakashi who examining the crime scene photos.

"As of late your profile is on point, however you did miss a minor detail." With a lazy gesture, green eyes focused on the direction Kakashi was hinting at. A pale pink eyebrow rose in response as she examined the crumpled up towel that had carelessly been thrown on the floor. Irritation filled her as she realized she had been careless at the first crime scene. Annoyed by the fact that Kakashi, who only had one freaking good eye, was able to pick up on that small misstep, she muffled a sigh as she came up with a possible explanation.

"The towel could have been a result of the victim or the murderer taking a shower before engaging in sexual activity, or it was carelessly tossed there for whatever mundane reason..."

"You are missing one more possible explanation."

The bored tone that Kakashi adopted irked her as she bite her lip and glared at him. Damn him for questioning her abilities but also for deducting the real reason behind the misplaced towel. Cursing herself for her slip up she flippantly glanced at the other two detectives that were awaiting the third explanation.

"Or the fact that the victim is male and we have already determined the killer is female, it is possible that after the act of intercourse, she decided to clean herself up. Almost as if she was disgusted with herself for partaking in the act all together."

"What? But who would feel disgusted with sex...I mean come on...it's sex!" Sakura watched in amusement as Sasuke quickly smacked Naruto on the backside of his head while muttering the word "dobe" under his breath. A devious smile graced her lips as she strolled up to Naruto. Placing a delicate hand on his chest to balance herself, Sakura reached up to brush her lips against his ear before whispering, "well not every man knows how to handle a woman. Tell me Naruto, are you one of those men?"

A shiver raked through Naruto's body as he felt the curve of Dr. Haruno's breast pressed against his chest. Feeling her soft lips against his ear caused a wave of lust to fill him as he peered at the woman's large green eyes that were filled with a mixture of mirth and desire. Gulping at his current predicament, Naruto frantically tried to compose himself and find a way to remove the female from his person, otherwise she would be able to feel what she did to him, very soon.

The sound of someone's throat clearing broke the stare down between the two as Sakura slowly removed herself from Naruto who was currently turning an interesting shade of red. Hiding a snicker, she turned to the source of the sound and wasn't surprised to see an indifferent expression on the Uchiha's face. Schooling her face into a cool expression she turned towards Kakashi, "What is another reason why a female would be disgusted by the act of having sex?"

"She could've possibly been a victim of long term rape or sexual assault which fueled her hatred against men and thus started her killing spree. The fact that the killer is going after influential men may hint at her possible abuser or rapist. The act of sex may be disgusting to her but the actual killing is addicting because she feels in control."

"Hmm, true but you can't dissuade the fact that the sex may only be disgusting because it is with certain men. It could hint at something deeper...have you two looked into whether or not there was a connection between your two victims?"

The duo who had been brainstorming turned to face the two detectives that were staring at them, both adorning different expressions, one filled with admiration while the other was filled with indifference.

"No, there hasn't been anything to link the two victims as of late, but we will be going back and interrogating Konan and Nagato to see if they knew Deidara or had an idea of who Yahiko could've been seeing."

Sakura bit her lip in response as she pondered her next move. It wouldn't be that difficult to figure out the connection between the two but it would take a lot for either Konan or Nagato to confess. After all, _ he_ was the one that everyone feared. Her brow furrowed in response as flickering memories of _him _disturbed her thought process. A flash of fury ignited in her but it was quickly quelled as the taste of blood filled her mouth. Relaxing herself she continued to maintain a calm facade as she devised a way to get rid of Konan and Nagato. The fact that they were having an affair made it easy to put the blame on them, especially after hearing their...concerns.

* * *

_"Nagato, I can't do this anymore." _

_Sakura perked up as she continued to go about cleaning the room. She had decided to pose as a maid since she had found the hotel Konan and Nagato had been visiting to fulfill their more primal instincts. She tried to continue cleaning the bathroom while eavesdropping on their conversation._

_" What do you mean Konan, do you not love me anymore?"_

_"No, it's not that. I don't like sneaking around and hurting Yahiko. He's our friend Nagato."_

_"I understand but I love you."_

_"I love you too, but I love Yahiko like a brother."_

_"Yet you had no problem marrying him." The scorn could be heard in Nagato's voice which caused Sakura to smile. _

_"Don't you dare bring that up. You were the one that just left us."_

_"It was all for you! Being part of Ame was great and all but it wasn't a way to survive. I had no money and wouldn't have even been able to buy you a fucking ring let alone start a family!"_

_"You could've said something! Not even one word and then you turn up again after I married Yahiko!" _

_"You couldn't have waited and why even marry him if you didn't love him?"_

_"Because he was there and you weren't!"_

_Silence filled the room which caused Sakura to giggle softly to herself. Finally their fantasy world was being shattered. _

_"Why did you really leave?"_

_"I told you it was because I needed to make an actual living."_

_"Don't lie to me Nagato. I always could tell when you were lying."_

_"I can't tell you Konan."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Because..." _

_"Because?"_

_"..Madara." _

_Once again it was eerily quiet but this time, the elation Sakura had felt early dispersed at the mention of that name. The sensation of nails biting into her skin only hinted at her anger but all thoughts were interrupted by the ongoing conversation._

_"I'm sorry."_

_'You should be' was echoed in Sakura's thoughts as she sneered at door that concealed the two lovebirds. Deciding it was time to remind them of her presence, Sakura flushed the toilet which created the desire effect as she could hear a gasp from the other room. Quickly she gathered her things and walked out of the bathroom to greet the others._

_"I finish the bathroom. Need other service?" The fake accent distorted her words which served to relieve Konan but there was still a suspicious look adorning Nagato's face._

_"No there is nothing else. You can leave now."_

_"Enjoy your stay." Bowing her head in response, Sakura turned on her heel and walked out of the room. Quickly she strolled down the hallway towards the service elevators that were strictly for the hotel staff. With nimble fingers she unbuttoned the maid uniform and took off the black wig that she had adorned to hide her exotic hair color. Loose waves of rose colored hair fell against pale white skin. Enjoying the sensation of the cool air on her bare skin, Sakura took her time rummaging through the pile of sheets as she searched for her purse and extra clothes she had hidden there earlier. As she dressed herself, the sound of her phone ringing, had her digging through her purse._

_"Yahiko!"_

_A deep chuckle could be heard from the phone. "I believe this is the happiest I have heard you." _

_"Ah well I was just in a good mood."_

_"Oh? Care to share?"_

_"Nope it my secret" the for now part trailed off as Sakura quickly gathered her things and made her way to the lobby. _

_"Fine. Are you willing to get some coffee? Konan called and said she would be out late tonight with her friends and Nagato said he had to work late, so..."_

_"I'm your third option?"_

_"No, no nothing like that. I mean we haven't seen each other in so long and I thought it would be cool to catch up..."_

_"You're babbling. I'll be more than happy to. After all you really helped me out three years ago when those guys were trying to steal my purse..."_

_"Yeah those bastards..but hey at least I got to meet you and we became friends. So what do you say?"_

_"Sure, 6 pm tonight?"_

_"That's fine, see you soon."_

_"Bye."_

* * *

It didn't take much after that to open Yahiko's eyes to the affair and then lure him into her bed. Mentally sighing, Sakura already knew what she had to do. After visiting the crime scenes and profiling herself, the irony, she would pay a little visit to the prison and take care of the nuisances.

"Is it alright to visit the crime scenes now are do we still need to wait?"

Sasuke glanced at the clock and was surprised that they had spent more than two hours discussing the past cases. He would grudgingly admit that he was impressed with what Sakura and Kakashi had determined from just observing a few photos. Running a hand through his hair he rose from his seat and gestured for Naruto to do the same.

"CSI should be done. We can hand over now. Do you plan to follow us or ride with us?"

"I'll follow, Kakashi you can ride with them." With a quick smile Sakura turned to stroll out of the room but halted mid-step as yelling could be heard outside.

"Where are the damn police officers?! No, bring me the person in charge!"

Curious as to who was causing the commotion, Sakura was greeted by the sight of an irate old woman who was dressed in an expensive suit. Recognition dawned on her as she turned to see an irritated expression on both Sasuke and Naruto while Kakashi just appeared amused.

"Who the hell is yelling?!" The sound of a door being swing open did little to stop the old woman who continued to on her tirade.

"These damn officers lazing around and doing absolutely nothing!"

Tsunade glared at the old woman and was ready to unleash her own temper but the desire flew out the window as she realized who was standing before.

"Chiyo-sama, what can we do for you?"

The old woman huffed as she addressed Tsunade. An eyebrow rose in response as she took in the sight of the woman who was once nicknamed the slug princess.

"Well, who would think the day has come where the slug princess of Konoha is now the Captain of the homicide squad. You had such promise yet you decided to give up your career in medicine and became a police officer."

Tsunade tried to refrain from yelling at the woman since she was well known in Konoha for her medical prowess. Plus the fact that she was the head of all the hospitals in Konoha and her grandson Sasori was a well known poison expert, meant they held a lot of financial and political power in Konoha.

"Is there a reason for your visit?"

"Hmph, I came to file a report. My grandson Sasori has been missing since last night! I've tried calling his cell phone and his office but no one has seen him. Find my grandson!"

Tsunade sighed in response. "A person is not considered missing unless they have been gone for 48 hours."

"I don't care! He missed one of his major presentations today that he knew about. Something is wrong! I know it."

"Calm down, I'm sure he just over slept or something. Just try calling his phone again, if you still can't find him come back and we will take over. "

Chiyo spluttered in anger at Tsunade's dismissive attitude. "Do you think I haven't tried that? hell even his damn friend Deidara hasn't been answering his phone and I know his company is frantic right now trying to contact him.

Tsunade flinched at the sound of Deidara's name as she glanced at Sasuke and Naruto out of the corner of her eye. They were both now focusing their attention on Chiyo. No one knew the identity of the latest victim and the fact that there is a connection between Sasori and Deidara calls for immediate investigation.

"Alright I'll send my best two detectives out right now. Do you have any idea where he could've went?"

"His secretary said he asked his scheduled to be cleared at night due to an important appointment but he didn't leave a name or address."

"Fine, try calling him again and we will trace his phone number. Sasuke go get your girlfriend and tell her we need to track a number, NOW!"

"She's not my girlfriend." Was Sasuke's sulky response as he turned to get Karin before Tsunade could rip him a new one for correcting her.

Tsunade glared at Sasuke's retreating form as she turned once again to Chiyo who was currently calling Sasori.

"I promise we will find him."

Chiyo eyed Tsunade as she was once again greeted with Sasori's voice mail.

"You better."


End file.
